Ad Creative Acceptance Policy — Northwind Media Network
Written the way a policy team actually writes: prose, for humans. The compiler's job is to turn each numbered clause into one or more machine-checkable rules over the extraction schema — and to say so explicitly when a clause can't be reduced to the available fields.
1. Restricted categories
1.1 Alcohol. Alcohol advertising is accepted only when audience targeting is set to 21+ and the creative carries a responsible-drinking message (e.g. "Drink Responsibly", "Enjoy Responsibly"). Alcohol creatives must not depict anyone who appears to be under 25.
1.2 Gambling & betting. Must target 18+ (21+ preferred), must display an age badge in the creative, and must include a problem-gambling helpline or "gamble responsibly" style message. Claims of guaranteed winnings or "risk-free" bets are prohibited outright. Gambling advertisers must hold a valid gaming license in every state the campaign targets.
1.3 Financial services. Any ad that shows an interest rate, monthly payment, or promotional credit offer must state a representative APR in the creative. "Guaranteed approval" and similar language is not permitted.
1.4 Weight loss, supplements & pharma. Before/after body or skin comparison imagery is not permitted in any category. Ads must not claim to treat, cure, or prevent a medical condition. Weight-loss ads may not target under-18s.
2. Claims & substantiation
2.1 Superlatives and absolutes ("#1", "best", "guaranteed", "instant", "miracle", "risk-free") require substantiation we can't verify at review time — flag any creative using them for manual review rather than rejecting.
2.2 Comparative advertising that names or shows a competitor brand is flagged for legal review.
3. Creative quality
3.1 Text overlay should be kept minimal. Creatives where text covers a high proportion of the image are rejected; medium coverage is flagged with a recommendation to reduce.
3.2 Every creative must clearly identify the advertiser — a brand name or logo must be visible.
4. Audience safety
4.1 If targeting metadata leaves minimum age unset, treat the ad as reaching all ages: restricted categories (alcohol, gambling, weight loss, financial services) are then rejected regardless of creative content.
4.2 Creatives depicting apparent minors are not permitted in alcohol, gambling, weight-loss, or cosmetics/skincare categories.
5. Regional & channel requirements
5.1 New Jersey. Gambling creatives running in New Jersey must display the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline number in the creative.
5.2 Email. Alcohol and gambling creatives may not run in the email channel at all.
5.3 Self-serve accounts. Financial-services ads from self-serve advertisers are always flagged for manual review, even when otherwise compliant.